Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ok, I just want to warn you, this will be a rant. You can turn back now.......Readers beware...........

Ok, I warned you. If you decide to keep reading, read at your own risk.

Sunday night me and Hubby watched Dateline on NBC. Normally I don't watch it, but I figured there was nothing else on. Dateline was airing a show about the poor in this economy. To be exact, the poor in southern Ohio and the Appalachia Mountains. Well, this is where I live, eastern Kentucky. I know of the area that they were talking about. It is only 1 1/2 hrs drive from my house. To some 1 1/2 hours is a long distance, but to us around here who drive that far just to go out to eat, it's nothing . (Believe me, everyone does it.) On this tv program, they were talking about how poor people were and how they had to depend on a food pantry so that they could eat. They also showed how a family of 4 was living in a camper. (Oh, get ready, there's more.) There were (I'm not sure exactly the number) 11 or 14 people living in one house, because they had all lost their place to live. And then, to top it off, they threw in a young mother of 3 who lived in her van.

I'm sure there were a lot of people who were sitting on the edge of their seat, with a tissue in hand, dabbing at the tears that were rolling down their face. Not me. I was furious at these people. If you lived around here you would understand why. There is a lack of work ethic! No one wants to work!(Gerneralizing) They want everything to be giving to them. Where I live, McDonald's is always hiring. Wal-Mart is too. I know that they are not high paying jobs, but, they are jobs. On a lot of the corners there are people with signs that read, "Will work for food." or" Homeless please help" I have a friend that has his own business. He asked someone holding one of those signs if they wanted a job working at his plant. They said," No. They made more money holding their signs".

Priorities are wrong. Some people(I am just generalizing)don't want to better themselves. As long as they can get a four wheeler or their cigarettes, they are happy. They don't want a nice house. I've seen people living in campers with no water or sewer but they will have them a nice four wheeler or a sporty car. I just don't get it.

The couple that lived in the camper for example, the man wore a thick gold necklace around his neck. The last time I looked, there were people all over the place wanting to buy gold. The lady wore fake nails! Now come on!!!!! I KNOW how much those things cost. $20 to $40 every 2 to 3 weeks. Priorities people!!!

When they started to show the house that all of those people lived in, I was amazed. It was FILTHY! It had pizza boxes on the floor and counter tops. There was trash all over the floor. Broken toys stuffed in behind recliners. People, it doesn't cost anything to be clean! And with 11 or 14 people not working, I'm sure it's not because you don't have any help. Oh, and another thing, clean your kid's face!

The young lady who was living in her van with three kids,she said she had her first child when she was a jr in high school. Then she had a kid every year after that. (remember, she has 3 so far) Anne Curry asked her if she had been taught about birth control. She said,"Yes, but accidents happen." Now, I know they do. I'm not putting down anyone who has had a child by accident. But three times? I don't want to jump to any conclusions here, but the young girl had bad teeth. Around here we all know that if you have bad teeth and are young, there is a high possibility that you are on drugs. (They rot your teeth) That would explain a lot. They said that sometimes she can stay with her grandmother. But, relationships with her family were strained. HELLO! As the program was going off, they said that she had been arrested for domestic violence against one of her babies daddies.Please.

Now I will help anyone who truly needs help. I know they are out there. And I have a soft spot for them. We have givin cars to people just because they needed a way to get back and forth to work. But, "work" is the key word. Don't just sit around and expect me to do all of YOUR work. I will help people that help themselves, or(and I know they are out there) who REALLY can't help themselves.

What I found interesting, was out of all the people that they showed that proclaimed to be starving, not one of them had a garden in their back yard. They had room for it. They just didn't use it. This area is known for it's backwoods ways. People KNOW how to grow gardens around here. A lot(just generalizing) won't do it. I just don't know about them.

So if you happened to watch Dateline that night, please put away your tissues. They are not needed.

So now that that is off of my chest. We return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

I want to start this letter off on a good note and say that I really appreciate you helping me fertilize my garden. Your manure really helps my plants thrive. Although you are helping out, I really wished that you would stop burrowing through my beans and making tunnels through them.

I also wished that you would at least leave me SOME beans to eat myself. I mean, I did buy the seeds and plant them. Without me, you wouldn't have all of the yummy beans that you have been snacking on. If you would like to snack on something, would you please snack on the weeds that are growing (thriving) along side of the beans. But, if you HAVE to snack on the beans, could you please eat all of the bean. I mean, when you just take a bite out of a bean, it ruins it all. I can't use the rest of it.

I know that you are a smart animal or you wouldn't have made your home where you have an abundant amount of food. I understand that you really like the beans and that there seems to be a lot of them, but if you keep eating them, there will be none to can.

I don't want to take drastic measures when it comes to your presents in my garden. But, if things do not change, I will have too.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

That's right, tired. I am trying to become a very early morning person. Normally, I get up around 7:30. That's if I have a straight 7 to 8 hrs of sleep. But here lately, Hubby has been leaving the house around 5:45 to go to work. That means I get up around 5:00 am to get his breakfast and lunch ready.( Now before all of you women's lib people start throwing a fit, I choose to get up and do this. It just makes it easier on him. Once again, I CHOOSE to do this.) Then normally, I go back to sleep for about 2 hours,wake up, then start MY day.

Well, with it being so hot around here, I informed Hubby that I was going to try and stay up after he leaves in the morning for work. He just smiles and shakes his head. "I can do it!" I tell him. I'm determined now.

So that night, I try to go to bed early. 9:00 pm. That's when I'm going to be in bed. At 7:30 we decide to go down and check on the goats at Hubby's dad's house. 8:45 we are still at f.i.l. house. I keep nudging Hubby,"Come on, I've got to be in bed in 15 mins." Hubby just smiles and nods his head. We get home around 9:30. I'm already a half hour off schedule. I run into the shower to get ready for bed. I'm out by 9:50. Okay, now I'm 50 mins behind schedule.

I come into the living room and Hubby is watching one of my new favorite shows on tv. (Good Guys, if you haven't seen it, it's very funny!) Great, now I have to finish the show. It's law.

Hubby finally makes it to the shower around 10:15. I'm going to go to bed. I go to bed, turn on the tv in our room, and start to watch the news. They are talking about the devastating floods that hit eastern Ky. Of course I had to watch it. They are my neighbors. (Well, kinda, 2 to 3 hrs away.) By the time the news it off, it's 11:00. I am drowsy now.

I turn the tv off and try to sleep. Two hours later, Skeeter wakes me out of a deep sleep. She has to go out. Great. So I get up, make my way through the house without stepping on her, (It's hard in the dark, she's black. And yes, I could have turned on a light, but where's the fun in that?) and let her out. Ten mins later, I'm back in bed.

One hour later thunder cracks outside. Yes, once again, I'm awake. The thunderstorm last for about 45 mins. Good, now I can go to sleep.

Another hour later, I am awaken by the distinct sound of a dog winding up to puke. (All of you dog owners out there KNOW what I'm talking about.)GREAT!!!!! So I go and find the "treasure" that skeeter has left behind. (If she hadn't eatin the chicken poop on the porch when she was let out, we wouldn't have had this problem) I let her out again. 15 mins later, I'm back in bed.

By that time I get to snuggle down into my blankets, and hear the alarm clock going off. I hit the snooze, and FINALLY get 9 mins worth of sleep.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Well, I've gone and done it. I took the baby chick(stuffed) from Skeeter. She didn't do as bad as I thought she would. She wined for about 15 mins then stopped. I am so glad. She was driving me crazy!!!!!!hehehe

Ok, it's official, my garden is THE worst garden ever! My tomatoes are shriveling up, my beans(which I was so proud of) are not doing as good as I thought they would, and my corn just got knocked down by a wind storm. My squash and zucchini aren't even doing good. I am now going to swallow my pride and take the fresh produce that friends and family are offering.( I hate to do that!) But, you have to do what you have to do. I'm so glad my life doesn't depend on what I can grow in the garden.(At least right now it doesn't.)Next year will be different. This fall me and Hubby are going to move our garden spot. It's going to be over closer to the new house. We are bringing in river sand, chicken poop, and rotting straw. We are going to plow it under and till it up. That way next spring, we will have a good rich soil to plant in.

In my herb garden, my mint is really doing well. Of course ANYBODY can grow mint.(even me) It is as tall as my shoulders. And, it is blooming like crazy. I have never seen so many pollinators on one flower. Big butterflies,small butterflies,big,medium,and small bumblebees, sweat bees, flies all different sizes. Out of all of the pollinators,(and there are hundreds) I only seen ONE honey bee. That's so sad. I would love to have some honey bees. Let me try that again, I would love to have someone grow honey bees for me on my land. I don't have the guts to work with bees. My grandpa could climb a honey tree and get the honey. He wouldn't even use gloves or a net or anything. Nope, not me. I didn't get that gene.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

That's right my dog Skeeter(my miniature dachshund)is driving me crazy!!! Lil' Sis gave her a toy. This toy is shaped like a baby chick. It's purple, so it doesn't really look like a real one. One thing that it does do is it peeps. If you touch it in a certain area, it makes the sound like a baby chick. I think that is the problem. She thinks its her baby!!!! She carries it around wherever she goes. If it peeps, she goes crazy! If she is not in her carrier with her "baby," she wines. It's not a normal whine, it's a very high pitch "whistle." It's driving me crazy!!!!! Thanks Lil' Sis. (Imagine a very big frown on my face.)

This last weekend was very nice. The weather was perfect. Now if only the garden will catch up. I picked some beans Saturday, but it wasn't enough to really make a batch.

The berries are still going strong. My uncle and his three grand daughters came over yesterday to pick some. They couldn't believe how much there were and how big. I kept telling them they were monsters. lol. Anyway, we picked tons(well maybe not tons) of berries. We were all scattered out picking until our hearts were content. Then all of the sudden, my uncle lets out a yell and starts running out of the berry patch. Hornet nest!!!!! As he was running, he dropped his bucket,which was full of berries, and he fell, sliding down the hill. Once he stopped sliding, he laid still hoping the hornets wouldn't sting him. He is allergic to them. I kept the grand kids over by me that way them wouldn't get into the hornets. We kept yelling over to him to make sure that he was ok. He said he was, but he dropped all of his berries. He also dropped his Gerber multi-tool back by the nest. Great. After a little while he gets up slowly and makes his way over to us. No stings! YEA! We decided we can go back latter and get the Gerber. I think he was more mad about the berries though. lol. He had smashed berries all up his side from shoulder to shoes. When he got home he said he even had them in his underwear. lol. Poor guy.

Anyway everything came out alright. I'm just freezing my berries now. Oh, I have the best frozen yogart recipe.

1 lb fruit(If using berries with a lot of seeds, you might want to strain them)1 1/2 cups greek yogart(more if you want. I used a lot of yogert)sugar to taste.( I used about 1/2 cup)vanilla (once again, to taste)

blend in blender, pour into bowl and freeze for at least 3 hrs.

eat and enjoy!

This is the best cold dessert for the summer.

Hubby is lactose intolernt but he can have yogart. He LOVES this! I hope you do too.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

What a wonderful weekend! Friends, family and fireworks! What more can you ask for? Oh yea, I can ask for it to COOL DOWN! It's HOT HOT HOT! (Hey that sounds like a song!) The poor garden is really feeling it too. It's looking pitiful. It is just not wanting to produce. I believe this year's garden is one of the worst that I have ever had. It's been too hot to get out and work in it.

Something is happening to my squash and zucchini. I see them starting to grow, then in about 2 or 3 days, I go out to pick them and they are gone. I think I'm going to call the FBI. The case of the missing squash. You think they will come and investigate? lol.

The tomatoes look like they are anorexic. Little twigs with tiny leaves. Hopefully they will come out of it. Poor things have had a rough year,flooding in the spring, and extreme heat now. If it starts to snow in August, I'm going to give up. lol.

One thing that is growing really good is the wild blackberries. Take a look at these babies.

Yes, that is a quarter! It won't take very many of these to make a batch. lol.

I guess I have blackberry jam in my future. (and pies,and cobbler,and smoothies,and..........)

About Me

I grew up on 2 acres of land north of Columbus OH. Mom had a small garden,I had a horse,and Dad had his tractor, but we were far from what you would call homesteaders. It wasn't until I moved to Kentucky and married my husband did I start to have a small interest in growing a garden again. We have a few head of cattle, a small herd of horses, a flock of chickens and 2 dogs. And the garden, it keeps growing and growing each year. We decided we want to be more self-reliant. I don't know much about homesteading, but I'm willing to learn as I go. Oh, this could get good.